Task 3. Complete the names of 8 school subjects from the letters you are given.

1. Ge

2. Hi

3. Sc

4. Ma

5. Fr

6. Mu

7. Inf Te

8. Rel Ed

Task 4. Look at Ann’s timetable.

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Lesson 1

Religious Education

Maths

Social Education

English

Visual Art

break

Lesson 2

History

Science

Music

Science

Geography

Lesson 3

English

French

Physical Education

Maths

lunch

Lesson 4

Maths

History

Information Technology

Maths

Physical Education

Lesson 5

Geography

Visual

Art

French

English

As you can see, Ann has five lessons every day. Every morning she has a twenty – minute break. There are three terms (=periods of continuous work) in a school year, and the timetable changes every year.

A.Questions:

1. Not including PE, how many subjects does Ann do?

2. According to the timetable what foreign language does Ann study?

B. True or False? If the sentence is false, change it to make it true.

1. Children at school are called ‘pupils’.

2. In Britain schools PE is short for ‘practical education’.

3. In Britain, the academic year is usually divided into two terms.

4. The working day is divided into lessons, with morning and afternoon breaks.

5. The plan for each day’s work is called the school schedule.

Timetables. (for real)

Task 5. Listen to the recording and complete Luke’s weekly timetable of lessons.

Timetable

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

1

German

L2

2

Science

P8

Mr

History

3

English

A7

Graphics

4

5

Science

S15

Mrs

Maths

P3

Miss

B2

Mrs

A. Write ten true sentences comparing your school week with Luke’s.

Examples:

-Luke has Graphics twice a week, but I don’t do Graphics at all.

-We both have Maths 4 times a week. A typical school day.

Lesson 2.

Task 1. Here are some school subjects but the letters are mixed up. What are the subjects?

1. TAHMS

7. EHGORAGPY

2. IRTHOSY

8. RAT

3. CNECSEI

9. SIMCU

4. NISGEHL

10. EHNFCR

5. HOGTCEYNLO

11. NEOCCIOSM

6. MGREAN

Task 2. Answer Laura’s questions about yourself and your school.

I go to Linden Green Comprehensive in York.

1. What school do you go to?...

I’ve been there for three years.

2. How long have you been at your school?....

My school day starts at 8.30 a.m.

3. What time does your school day start?.....

At 8.30 we have registration with our form tutor. Our first lesson starts at 8.50.

4. Do you have registration? What time does your first lesson start?.....

Our lessons last 60 minutes. But some lessons, like Art, are ‘doubles’ of 120 minutes.

5. How long are your lessons?....................

We have a break in the morning from 10.50-11.10.

6. What about you? Do you have a morning break?...............

Lunch is from 12.10 to 1.10

7. When is your lunch break?........

I eat in the school dining room. There’s a wide range of things to choose from – hot meals, soup, salads, sandwiches, snacks and cold drinks.

8. What do you do for lunch?...

We have two lessons in the afternoon with a ten minute break from 2.10-2.20.

9. Do you have lessons in the afternoon? How many?...

We finish school at 3.20.

10. What time do you finish school?...

I’m in Year 10 and I get about 2 hours of homework a night. (Yuk!)

11. What about you? How much homework do you get a night?....

Timesaver elementary

Task 3. Listen to Kate, Simon, Adam and Jennifer talking about their schools and then complete the chart.

Kate

Simon

Adam

Jennifer

Do you like going to school?

yes

What do you like best about school?

Sport

What’s the worst thing about school?

homework

What are your teachers like?

friendly

Task 4. Put the words in brackets in the correct place.

a) I like going to school (very much)

b) I don’t like science (at all)

c) The subject I like is biology (best)

d) I enjoy sport (always)

e) I don’t like my other lessons (any of)

f) My lessons are interesting (most of)

4. Complete these sentences about yourself.

a) The best thing about my school is…

b) The worst thing about my school is…

c) At school I am good at…

d) At school I am bad at…

Unit 2. The system of education in Great Britain.

Lesson 3.

Task 1. Find ……. school subjects in this square.

Task 2. Study the system of education .

Most children in England and Wales follow this route in the state system (=free education).

Age

3

some go to nursery school

5

everyone starts primary school

11

pupils go to a secondary school (Am Eng=high school). This may be a comprehensive school (= mixed ability) or a grammar school (=children selected for their academic ability)

16

they leave school and

get a job, or go to a college for vocational (=job)training, e.g. hotel management, secretarial courses or

stay at school for two more years

18

they leave school and get a job or

-go to university

-go to a college for further education/ training (teaching, business studies).

Task 3. Try to answer these questions.

1. At what age do children go to nursery school?

2. At what age do they start primary school?

3. At what age can English and Welsh children leave school?

4. What happens if children fail all the exams they take at the age of 16?

5. What can they do if they pass all their exams at the age of 18?

Task 4. Complete this description of a typical school education in many parts of Britain.

Age

3

some children go to 1…school.

5

everyone starts 2…school

11

children go on to 3…school. Some of these are called grammar schools, others are called 4…i.e. with mixed ability.

16

by law, children can 5…school at this age and 6…a job, but many 7…at school for two more years.

18

if they pass their exams, many 8…to university.

Unit 3. Different types of schools.

Timesaver Read and react

Lesson 4.

1. Find 9 school subjects in this square.

Task 2. Read the text.

Schools in Britain.

Every parent wants to send their child to the best school. But which school are the best – private schools or state schools?

- state schools are free, the government pays for everyone.

- public schools are private and parents pay, public schools spend 4 times more on each pupil than state schools but they are very expensive.

1. Do public and state schools teach the same thing?

Public schools have similar subjects to state schools and pupils take the same exams. Public schools don’t have to follow the National Curriculum.

2. What is a boarding school?

Pupils live there and go home in the holidays. Most public schools are boarding schools but there are private day schools too.

3. Which is better: private or state?

a) Becky: I go to a state school but I’ll send my kids to a boarding school because I plan to have a career. They can have a social life and do school work in the same place.

b) Rob: private schools are better because there are so many activities. In my school there is a cadet force ( a junior military training group), film studies and drama classes. Students are more likely to go to a good university.

c) Helena: you get more attention at a private school but state schools are better because you learn to mix with different people. Also most state schools are mixed ( boys and girls) and it’s good to be with boys and girls.

d) Thomas: public schools get better exam results. The people who go there are not just from rich families. My friend’s parents work hard to pay for him to go to public school to give him better chances to life.

e) Harriet: just because public schools have more money doesn’t mean that the pupils are more intelligent. There are drug problems in public schools as well as in state schools.

A. Match the descriptions to the names. If you think they prefer public schools, put a ‘p’ in the box. If they prefer state schools, put an ‘s’ in the box.

A…thinks that public schools are good because the pupils work much harder. Some poor people work hard to earn enough money to send their children to public schools. –p/s

B…thinks public schools are good for parents who have busy jobs. Pupils in public schools have a good time with lots of friends and also do a lot of school work too. –p/s

C…believes that both kinds of school have similar problems. It is wrong to say that money and intelligence go together. Pupils in public schools have a lot of privileges and advantages. –p/s

D… prefers mixed schools with boys and girls and schools where people come from different backgrounds and families. This is more like the real world. –p/s

E…is a great fan of public schools because there are so many activities and the academic results are better and pupils have a better chance when they want to go to one of the good universities. He doesn’t have a problem with money!

Becky is someone who…

Rob is someone who…

Helena is someone who…

Thomas is someone who…

Harriet is someone who…

B. Now finish these statements about public schools and state schools with phrases from the list below (just write the alphabet letter):

State schools are schools that……

Public schools are schools that…..

A have many extra activities

B have to follow the National Curriculum

C usually have mixed classes of boys and girls

D are free

E cost a lot of money

F get good results because they have small classes

G give pupils military training

Lesson 5.

1. Find ….school subjects.

Timesaver inter

Task 2. Listen to four British teenagers talking about their schools. Fill in as much information as you can in the table below.

type of school

doesn’t like

Enjoys

Sophie

Jack

Ryan

Louise

Task 3. Some teenagers are now going to give you some information about the education system in Britain. Listen and complete the missing information.

State education is free but some parents pay for a)…. education. Private school are very expensive and about b)…% of British kids go to them. Children go to nursery school from three years old to c)…years old. They go to primary school when they are d)…years old. They start secondary school at 11. Children in the UK must go to school until they are e)…years old. They can stay at school for two more years until they are f)…years old. Children at secondary school in Britain have to study g)…subjects. The main subjects are English, mathematics and h) …. Children must spend more time studying these subjects. The other subjects are history, i)…, art, one foreign language (French is the most usual), design and technology, physical education and j)….When they are 16 years old, students have to take General Certificate of Secondary Education exams (GCSEs)in as many subjects as they can manage, often about k)…or ten. At 18, they take A levels which qualify them for entry to l)… Students in the UK specialize early, choosing just three or four

young people go to university or college.

Task 4. Read Luke’s letter.

Hi!

I’m Luke! I live in Brighton on the south – east cost of England, with my mum, my dad and my younger brother, Nick.

I’m 15 years old. I go to William Cobbett School in Brighton. I’m in Year 11, which means my classmates are between 15 and 16 years old. At the end of the school year, i.e. in June, we have to take GCSE examinations. The title stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. These are national examinations and most school students in England take them, usually at the age of 16. I’m going to take 11 subjects. Everyone has to take GCSE in the core subjects – Maths, English and Science and P.E.(that’s Physical Education) – and then you can choose from loads of other subjects. I’m doing English Literature, History, French, German, Statistics, Religious Studies and Graphics.

What am I good at? Well, I’m pretty good at Maths and Science but, to be honest, I’m not so great at English, I need to improve my writing. I really enjoy Graphics, though drawing is not my strong point. What subjects don’t I like? Well, I used to hate German but now I like it a lot. That’s because I’ve got a new teacher and she’s really great. But I’m not keen on History and I can’t stand R.S. actually, to be honest, my favourite subject is Music, but I don’t do it at school.

Music is my main hobby. I play drums in a band. We’re called Swelter, and our music is sort of indie rock. We rehearse once a week for two hours at the Brighton Music Service Studio. Next Saturday we’re playing a gig at the school, so I’m practicing hard at the moment (when I’ve finished my homework, of course!). The noise drives my parents crazy!

Task 5. Read Luke’s answers and write the full questions.

1. What’s ….?

Luke

2. Where … ?

Brighton

3. Where…?

It’s on the south –east coast of England.

4. Which….?

William Cobbet School.

5. Which ….?

Year 11.

6. How old…?

Between 15 and 16 years old.

7. What ….?

It stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education.

8. When …?

At the age of 16.

9. How many…?

11.

10. What …?

Maths and Science.

11. What…?

History and R.S.

12. What’s ….?

Music.

13. Which ….?

Drums.

14. What’s ..?

Swelter.

15. How often…?

Once a week for two hours.

16. Why…?

Because I’ve got a gig next Saturday.

Unit 4. Examinations.

Timesaver holidays

Task 6. Read the text and do the task.

GCSE Options.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland pupils start studying for their GCSE exams in Year 10. They can choose 9 subjects. Some of the subjects are compulsory (you have to do them) and some are optional (you can choose them if you like).

These are the subjects pupils can take at Littleton Comprehensive School. If you were starting in Year 10, which 9 subjects would you choose? You must do compulsory subjects, but you can choose your optional subjects. You can’t choose subjects that clash (are at the same time).

Scan

If you chose these subjects, what would your timetable be? Complete your timetable.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Session 1

Morning

break

Session 2

Lunch

Session 3

Afternoon

break

Session 4

New English Files

Task 7. Listen to the speaker and fill in the gaps.

1. My brother’s at university. He …economics.

2. Our English teacher thinks we should… ten new words every day.

3. Anna … in the exam. She copied some of Marco’s answers.

4. I’ll …my homework after supper.

5. My son is four now. He’s going to …school in September.

6. I …my exams so I’m going to go to university next year.

7. I’m sure I’m going to …English.

8. Josh’s grandparents paid for him to go to a …school.

9. Angela works in a …school. She loves babies and young children.

10. Peter’s away at…school, but he’s coming home for the summer holidays.

11. Our new neighbor is a …of history at Oxford University.

12. There’s a party tonight for the new …who have just finished university.

13. The local secondary school is very big. It has about 1,500…

14. I have to wear a red and grey …for school.

15. My favourite …are history and music.

16. I don’t know when we have PE today. I’ll look at my …

17. The whole class got bad… in the test, so their teacher was very disappointed.

18. The school year is divided into three …

Unit 5. University.

Lesson 6.

Task 1. Read the text.

University.

You can normally do/study these subjects at university but not always at school:

Medicine

Psychology

Business studies

law

sociology

agriculture

philosophy

architecture

history of art

engineering

politics

If you want to go to (= enter) university, you must first pass examinations that most students take at the age of 18 (called ‘A’ levels). Most students take 3 ‘A’ levels (three examinations in three different subjects) and they must do well in order to get/obtain a place at university because the places are limited. At the moment, approximately 30% of young adults go to university in Britain.

If you get a place at university, the tuition (=the teaching) is free, and some students also get (=receive) a grant (=money to pay for living expenses, e.g. food and accommodation) as well. Students at university are called undergraduates while they are studying for their first degree.

Most university courses last (=go on for/continue for) 3 years, some courses last 4 years, and one or two courses, e.g. medicine, may be even longer. During this period students can say that they are doing/studying history, or doing/studying for a degree in history, for example. When they finish the course and pass their examinations, they receive a degree (the qualification when you complete a university course successfully). This can be a BA (=Bachelor of Arts) or a BSs (=Bachelor of Science), e.g. I have a friend who has a BA in history, and another who has a BSs in chemistry.

When you complete your first degree, you are a graduate. Some students then go on to do a second course or degree (postgraduate course/postgraduate degree). These students are then postgraduates. There are usually 3 possible degrees:

MA (Master of Arts) or MSc (Master of Science); usually one year

MPhil (Master of Philosophy); usually 2 years

PhD (Doctor of Philosophy); at least 3 years

When people study one subject in great detail (often to find new information), we say they are conducting/doing/carrying out research, e.g. I’m doing some research into/on the languages of different African tribes.

At school, you have teachers, at university you have lecturers.

A university lecturer gives a lecture on (chemistry) and the students take notes.

Students can do an (English) course in many colleges and schools. At the end of a course, you often have to take/do an exam. You hope to pass your exams. You don’t want to fail your exams.

If you pass your final exams at university, you get a degree.

Task1. Fill in the gaps. Put the verb in the correct form.

John did well at school. He always found it easy to 1… and he always 2… his homework. He 3… all his school exams. Now he 4…geography at university. He is also 5… a special geology course. He enjoys sitting in lectures, listening to the lecturer and 6…notes. He will 7…his final exams next year. If he 8…,he will 9… a degree in geography. If he 10…, he will be very sad. He would like to become a geography lecturer. He would like to 11… lectures.

Task 2. Complete these definitions of subjects people study at university.

1. the study of the human mind and people’s behavior……

2. the study of how buildings are designed and constructed….

3. the study of the activities of government…

4. the study of theories about existence, knowledge and thought…

5. the scientific study of substances and how they react…

6. the design and building of machines, roads and bridges…

7. the study of how to treat illness and injuries…

8. the study of farming: producing crops and keeping animals…

9. the study of the rules of a country…

10. the study of the way society is organized…

Task 3. Write the abbreviations in full.

1. MA stands for….

2. MPhil stands for…

3. PhD stands for…

4. BA stands for…

5. BSs stands for…

3. Complete the text with appropriate verbs in the correct form.

When he was 8, my brother’s main ambition in life was to 1… to university. He was very hard –working and 2…well at school. He 3…three ‘A’ levels at the age of 18, and fortunately he 4…them all. In fact, he got such high marks that he managed to 5… a place at a very good university, where he decided to 6…biology. The course 7…three years and at the end he 8…a very good degree. As a result, he got the chance to go on to postgraduate studies, and he is now 9…research at Bristol University. Last month he was asked to 10… a lecture to a group of young doctors.

Task 4. Are these sentences true or false? If they are false, correct them.

1. A grant is the money some students receive from a government to pay for education, food and accommodation.

2. A graduate is someone who has not yet finished their first degree.

3. An MA is a degree that you get on an undergraduate degree course.

4. At university the people who teach you are called lecturers.

5. Tuition is the cost of the teaching of your course.

6. A postgraduate is a second degree course.

Task 5. What do you call:

1. the money some students receive if they get a place at university?

2. the qualification you get at the end of university?

3. the name we give students during this period at university?

4. teachers at university?

5. students when they have completed their first degree?

6. students studying for a second degree?

7. the study of one subject in great depth and detail, often to get new information?

8. the talks that students go to while they are at university?

Task 5. Replace the underlined verbs with different verbs that have the same meaning in the context.

1. Who is giving the lecture today?

2. Did she receive a grant for her course?

3. Is it more difficult to obtain a place at university?

4. You have to pass the exams before you can enter university.

5. He’s studying physics, I think.

6. I think they’re carrying out some research into the cause of asthma.

7. I didn’t take any notes in the lecture yesterday.

8. The course goes on for three years.

Task 6. How similar is university education in your own country? Answer these questions.

1. Do you need to pass examinations before you can go to university?

2. Do some students get a grant to study at university?

3. Is the tuition free if you go to university?

4. Do most students go to university at the age of 18 or 19?

5. Do more students go to university in your country than in Britain?

6. Do most degree courses last three years?

7. What is your equivalent of the British BA or BSs?

8. Do you have similar postgraduate degrees in your country?

Task 7. Explain the system of education in England and Wales.

Task 8 . Match the expressions to the pictures.

Tapescript.

I have English 4 times a week: period 3 on Monday in room A7, period 5 on Wednesday in a1, period 4 on Thursday, also in A1, and period 1 on Friday, back in A7.

I have German twice a week: that’s on Monday period 2, and then on Wednesday period 1, both times in room L2.

I have Science five times a week (it’s a core subject, and also I’m doing Double Science for GCSE). I don’t have it on Monday at all, but I have it twice on Tuesday: period 2 in Room P8, with Mr O’Connor, and period 5 in S15 with Mrs Oakham. I’d better spell their names for you: O’Connor is spelt CAPITAL O-APOSTROPHE-CAPITAL C-O-N-N-O-R. and Oakham is spelt O-A-K-H-A-M. I have Science again on Wednesday, period 4, in Room P8 with Mr O’Connor, and on Tuesday period 1 in room S15 with Mrs Oakham. Science is also my last lesson of the week, Friday period 5, this time in B2. It’s with Mrs Marshall –that’s M-A-R-S-H-A-L-L. She teaches us Human Biology.

My week starts with History – that’s Monday morning, period 1. And I have another two periods of History: Wednesday, period 2 and Friday period 2. All of them are in room A11.

Maths is another core subject. I have 4 lessons a week with 2 different teachers. The first lesson is on Tuesday, period 4, and the second is on Wednesday, period 3. Both of these are with Mr Lane, spelt L-A-N-E, in room S6. Then I have 2 periods of Maths with Miss Slade in P3 – one on Thursday, period 5, and one on Friday period 4. Oh, her name is spelt S-L-A-D-E.

What’s else? Oh, yes, I have P.E. (that’s means Physical Education) every Monday afternoon, periods 4 and 5. During the year we get to do a choice of activities, including gymnastics, athletics and basketball, plus of course football and cricket.

Oh, and there’s Graphics. I nearly forgot! I have Graphics twice a week in room D4 – the first time on Tuesday, period 3, and the second time on Thursday, period 3.

I have two periods a week of R.S., which means Religious Studies. That’s in room A5, and …oh, I haven’t told you when it is. Let’s see…R.S. is on Tuesday morning, period 1, and on Thursday morning, period 2.

On Friday, period 3, I have something called PSE, which means Personal and Social Education. It’ s about moral questions, erm, like how do we know the difference between right and wrong, and how to be a good citizen. Things like that. PSE is in room A3.

OK? Well, that’s my week at William Cobbett. As you see they keep us pretty busy! What about you? What’s your week like?